Sadly, just two days later, Ben left for college. There were a lot of tears, hugging, and of course plenty of laughter. Ben hugged Riley tight; reminding her - or maybe himself - that this wasn't goodbye. He promised he would call her every day, and asked her to please, always think fondly of her favorite uncle Benny. Of course, he knew she was far too young to understand any of this, but he would. Klaus's heart clenched when the finality of it all hit him; it would just be him and Riley now, all alone without anyone for them to turn to. While Klaus had always been accustomed to such a solitary existence himself; having his beautiful little girl changed all of that, and he was nervous that he alone wouldn't be enough for her.

The transition wasn't easy; going from having constant assistance from Ben, someone to go to for advice, or even just to have for moral support, and having it suddenly shift into having no one but himself; well, it was hard.

But Riley made it all worth it.

With all of the hustle, and bustle, and swirling emotions happening around them, it was easy to forget such tiny, minuscule tasks; such as remembering to re-stock upon groceries, diapers or even formula for Riley. It was no one's fault that something so diminutive went so easily skirted under the rug, or unnoticed. Although, having those things replenished prior to Ben's departure may have certainly made this transitional period a bit easier on Klaus.

He didn't mind at all, however. He was a grown man, certainly he could handle going shopping by himself with his little one. It couldn't possibly be too difficult to do-so with a baby, could it?

Unfortunately for Klaus, he found out rather quickly just how hard it could be.

The journey to the grocery store had its own set of drawbacks. The first one started back at the house; when the stroller Ben so thoughtfully gifted to his niece arrived in the mail. Klaus was ecstatic; what perfect timing. However, upon opening the package and finding that the contraption required assembly, well, that repugnant realization put quite the damper on Klaus's mood. He tried in vain to put the stroller together, but he simply wasn't skilled in such key abilities. Defeated, he decided he would try his luck again some other time; and opted to just carry Riley in her baby seat, instead.

Klaus didn't mind the walk to the store; the weather was rather nice for a mid October afternoon, aside from a few scattered clouds in the distance. It was a little on the breezy side, though, so he did opt to bundle Riley up in an extra blanket; which was a pity, as her adorable little pink onesie with ruffles on her shoulders was hidden from view. Klaus couldn't hide the smile that crept across his features, or the warmth that would fill his cheeks every time he'd look at his perfect baby girl.

God, she was so cute...

The store wasn't too far, only about six blocks from Ben's house. Klaus was familiar with walking to and fro all over the city, but carrying his daughter while doing so proved to be a bit of a struggle. He loved his little munchkin; but her weight combined with the weight of her carrier in his feeble arms proved to be a touch more difficult task than he anticipated. He didn't know how he was going to be able to carry her and all of the items they needed from the store home. Perhaps the employees of the store wouldn't mind if he borrowed a cart, just for a little while?

Nearly half way to the store, however, Riley's patience quickly wore thin. It started small; tiny whimpers with the occasional quick inhale of an exaggerated breath, but those tiny sputters quickly escalated into a full blown screaming cry.

At first Klaus tried desperately to soothe her, even going as far as to take her out of her carrier and rocking her in his arms for a while; but nothing seemed to calm his fussy little princess down. He figured she must just be hungry and decided to carry on, continuing towards their destination.

By the time they arrived, Riley was still utterly inconsolable; face bright red and fuming - her daddy's color wasn't too far off from her own.

Klaus didn't know if it was from her fussiness, or his lack of sleep since his brother's departure, but he himself felt rather distressed. He could feel his anxiety building within his chest, and his hands started to tremble as he passed through the automatic entryway into the grocery store. In fact, Klaus was so flustered, he completely bypassed the shopping carts entirely as he quickly navigated the aisles trying desperately to get this excursion over with as quickly as possible.

Klaus scuttled hurriedly down each aisle, collecting the necessities as he passed. He could feel the panic rising in his chest at each unwanted stare, or each unsolicited backhanded comment about his wailing baby girl. He was only one person, his hands were quite literally full, and therefore his options were tied. Of course he wished his sweet little princess wasn't so upset, and wished he could cradle her in his arms and comfort her; but the unwelcome criticism they were garnering from the other shoppers certainly weren't aiding the situation at all. He turned a corner, hands shaking; both from his anxious nature, and from juggling his precious angel. Not to mention all of the other collective products within his arms in search for the final item on his list: baby formula.

"Come on, come on, where's the damn formula." Klaus gritted through his teeth, eyes darting frantically over the product on the shelves. He spotted the sign over the top of the shelving for the next aisle over; it read 'Baby Food'. Surely the formula would be located on that aisle, as it was food and a baby would, in fact eat it? He whipped around the corner, before coming face to face with the desired section. Klaus's jaw went slack; the amount of options for formula were staggering.

Milk based, soy based, ones for sensitive stomachs, or gassiness, or fussiness. There were ones that promote brain health, or heart health. One said it helped strengthen immunity, while another he swore promised to create a baby genius - there were too many options, too many different brands, too many confusing promises. Klaus didn't know which one was best for his baby.

"Fuck, which one did Ben buy, why didn't I just keep the damn container!" He shifted his weight from one leg to the other trying to alleviate the pressure from all of the cumbersome weight within his arms off of his aching feet. His eyes finally landed on a package he recognized; it looked familiar enough, whether it was because it was the same one Ben bought for Riley, or because he saw it on a commercial he was unsure, but it looked promising enough, so he decided it would be the winner. Cautiously he reached for the gilded formula, tucking it beneath his arm before turning to approach the registers.

Thank god this was over, he didn't know how much longer he or Riley could stand to be stuck in this place. He made it nearly half way down the aisle when he realized he'd forgotten another important item on his list: food for himself.

"Shit." Riley's wailing continued to grow steadily louder, as did the pounding behind Klaus's temples. He made the decision to forgo that for now; he could go a day without food, he'd undoubtedly gone much longer than that in the past. Surely there were enough scraps back at the house he could construct into some form of a meal should he get hungry.

Riley's wailing intensified yet again, and Klaus's arms were beginning to hurt. Not to mention on top of everything else, all of the stress surrounding him was finally starting to set it. He didn't know why his emotions chose this moment to make themselves present, but he couldn't help himself. He started to panic; he could feel himself starting to have a meltdown alongside his daughter; he could only imagine what a sight they must be.

Frantic to escape this place so he could finally tend to his daughter and calm his own racing heart, Klaus quickly twirled on his heels and propelled himself forward. Perhaps he should have been more aware of his surroundings, or should have taken into consideration that he wasn't the only person on the aisle; but Klaus had always been a whirlwind of sorts, so it should have come to him as no surprise when he collided with a cart; causing him to cast all of his items from his arms, strewing them across the aisle. Klaus gasped, clutching Riley's carrier tightly against his abdomen as he stumbled a step back; panic tearing through his stomach.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry, fuck!" Klaus wrenched his eyes shut in an attempt to swallow back his tears; he was mere seconds away from a full blown panic attack. He didn't know why he was like this.

"Hey, no, please don't apologize," Started the other shopper, voice soft and somehow comforting. He inched himself forward towards Klaus, "that was totally my fault! Here, let me get that for you."

The kind shopper bent forward to collect the dispersed items from the floor, but Klaus shook his head, holding a hand up to stop him.

"No, I'm sorry, I should pick those up—"

"Hey, really, it's no problem at all. You've already got your hands full. Please, allow me." He continued his endeavor to gather the items; even bending down onto his knees to retrieve a packet of unopened pacifiers that slid beneath the shelves. He dusted them off on his pants before collecting the remaining items and returning to Klaus. His kind smile quickly shifted to a look of concern when he took in Klaus's nearly hyperventilating appearance.

"Woah, hey, are you okay?" He held the items in one arm as he extended his other to brace his hand against Klaus's shoulder. Klaus's eyes were tightly closed as he attempted and failed to calm his rapid breathing. Klaus didn't know why, but he suddenly couldn't control himself, and his feeling spilled out of his mouth as he unloaded his thoughts on this total stranger.

"No, not really," He began, opening his teary eyes; his gaze meeting the poor unsuspecting Good Samaritan's. "I'm sorry, I'm just kinda freaking out here. I'm a new dad, I have no help, and she's really fussy and colicky right now. I'm really sorry to unload all of this on you, I'm sure you don't care, I'm just really overwhelmed, and I don't know what to do—" The strangers face morphed into one of understanding.

"Woah, woah, calm down. Just take a deep breath." He instructed, trying desperately to calm the frantic man before him. Klaus exhaled a manic laugh as he rubbed at his teary eyes.

"Pshyeah, right, easier said than done." Riley's wailing continued on. Now that his hands were freed from the items he'd been carrying, Klaus was able to turn his attention to his daughter in hopes of calming her.

"Hey, shh princess, you're alright," He spoke softly as he set her carrier on the ground and knelt before her, rocking her gently in her seat; but her wails wouldn't stop. "Please baby girl, daddy's trying the best he can, I'm sorry." He sat on the floor, wiping the collection of tears from his eyes as he continued to rock her.

The stranger could see how stressful the situation was and decided he ought to intervene, offer some form of support or assistance. He placed Klaus's items from his arms into the seat of his shopping cart before kneeling beside Klaus on the ground.

"Mind if I try?" Klaus glanced at the man; he didn't know why this person seemed so keen on trying to help him.

"Unless you're some kind of a sorcerer, I don't know how you'll be able to help." The man simply shot Klaus a sympathetic smile before leaning over Riley's carrier. He opened his mouth wide, eyebrows climbing towards the ceiling before scrunching his face; pinching his features together while making silly sounds and funny voices. Klaus was amazed when Riley immediately began to calm; watching the stranger intently. He exhaled a sigh of relief, his tense muscles finally able to relax.

"Wow, thank you. Seriously, I don't know how you were able to do that so quickly." The stranger laughed, straightening himself so he was sitting upright to better address Klaus.

"No problem at all. I'm used to this; I'm a big brother, and my two sisters both have little ones of their own. All of my nieces and nephews are under the age of two. Needless to say, I'm a professional at getting kids to quiet down." The stranger polished his knuckles on his shoulder signifying how proud he was of this skill. Klaus laughed; a genuine smile gracing his lips. The stranger smiled back, extending his hand.

"I'm Dave." Klaus hesitated for a moment but eventually returned the gesture, shaking Dave's hand.

"Klaus."

Dave's smile was beautiful; he noted. It emphasized the deep inset dimples on his cheeks, and tugged at the skin around his bright blue eyes - odd, they reminded him of his daughter's. He didn't understand it; why was this man being so kind to him and his daughter? He didn't know them, didn't have any obligation to them, so why did he seem like he cared?

"What's this little princesses name?" Dave asked, once again leaning over Riley as he tickled her pudgy little legs, earning her to kick out and wave her arms excitedly. Klaus giggled; watching the man's innocent interaction with his daughter, it was heartwarming.

"This beautiful little angel is my daughter, Riley." Dave glanced over his shoulder at Klaus shooting him a smile before looking back to the precious baby, taking her wiggling hands gently within his own.

"Riley," He cooed, "what a pretty name for such a pretty little lady." Riley kicked her feet in agreement while her daddy blushed with pride. Dave finally stood up, extending his hand to Klaus to aid him off of the ground. Klaus smiled and nodded as he accepted Dave's offer, rising to his feet before picking Riley's carrier up from the floor.

"What do you say I help you bring your stuff to the register?" Dave asked, gesturing to Klaus's items in the seat of his cart. Klaus nodded happily.

"I say that'd be great, actually," He laughed, running his free hand through his curls. "Thanks, Dave."

"Of course."

Dave stayed with Klaus while he checked out at the register, and even helped carry his bags outside of the store. When they exited, Klaus's face fell. The weather had drastically shifted; heavy droplets of rain were pouring down as bright flares of lightning illuminated the dark inky sky.

"Shit!" Dave's eyes flickered to Klaus at his outburst.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Klaus ran his fingers through his hair, tugging lightly at the strands as he watched the water pooling in the parking lot.

"We walked here. I didn't even know it was supposed to rain, I don't have an umbrella or anything. I'm such an idiot!" He closed his eyes tilting his head back in defeat before shifting his gaze to his little girl's. "I'm so sorry baby girl. We are going to have to stay here just a little while longer to wait this storm out. Sorry princess, daddy is so sorry."

Dave could see the anguish on Klaus's face knowing he would be stuck away from home with his little girl during this storm.

"Hey," He began, unable to allow that to happen, "I could give you two a lift home."

There that man went again; being all nice to Klaus for no reason. Not that he didn't appreciate it, he just didn't understand how he should react. He wasn't accustomed to such pleasantries.

"Oh, no, really. I don't want to put you out of your way, you've already done more than enough—"

"Please, I can't just let that little angel sit here and wait for this to clear up, she looks hungry. Really, I don't mind at all. Wait here, I'll pull my car around."

Klaus wanted to protest, he wanted to tell Dave to take his kindness elsewhere and to just leave him and his shitty parenting skills alone; but he couldn't. Dave was right, Riley was hungry, and he couldn't make her wait any longer, she'd already waited long enough.

"Okay, fine. As long as you're sure you don't mind."

"Not at all," Dave smiled, his features tugging and showing off those perfect dimples of his again. "I'll be right back."

Dave took all of the groceries with him as he sprinted through the rain, holding his jacket over his head as a makeshift umbrella while he bolted for his vehicle. Klaus sighed as he watched him go. He still couldn't believe this total stranger was being so kind to him and his daughter. Klaus shifted his sights to his precious baby girl, his lips pursing in thought as he raised his eyebrows. He supposed now was as good a time as any to impart some form of a lesson into his little angel.

"Don't be like daddy. Don't accept rides from strangers; even if they do have pretty eyes and dimples—" He paused, shaking his head as Dave's handsome face danced within his thoughts. "Especially if they have those things!"

A few moments passed; mist from the rain was blowing under the overhang of the grocery store, dampening Klaus's pale skin. He was thankful he brought the extra blanket for his little girl, as it provided warmth for her and kept her dry. He ran his free hand up and down his arm as he felt his body chill and begin to shiver. Headlights flooded under the little overhang as a truck pulled up in the loading bay. Dave exited the vehicle; opening a large oversized umbrella as he hurriedly approached Klaus and Riley. They smiled at each other as Dave held the umbrella over their heads, ushering them towards his awaiting vehicle.

Dave opened the back seat for Klaus who peered into the cabin of the truck, curiously eyeing the base for the baby seat. Dave noticed how he hesitated, so he gestured to Riley's carrier.

"My sister has the same one, this base will work, don't worry." Klaus's eyes glanced down at Riley before meeting Dave's again.

"It's not that, I'm sorry, I'm such an idiot. I don't know how to—" He held his hands up, miming connecting them together. Dave laughed as he patted his back.

"Don't worry, I've got her." He took Riley's carrier and set it into the base with ease, as it clicked into place before making sure she was comfortable for the drive home. He closed the door behind them before opening the front passenger seat for Klaus, holding the umbrella over his head for him as he climbed in. He closed the door for him before jogging around the front of his truck and climbing in himself. Dave shifted the truck into drive, pulling out of the parking lot and started down the road.

"Thank you again for this, we really appreciate it." Klaus stated, running his hands up and down his arms in an attempt to warm his trembling body.

"Sure thing, it's no problem at all." He glanced at Klaus, smile strung across his features before noticing his shaky form. He frowned, reaching for the dial on his dashboard, adjusting the temperature to heat. Klaus noticed the kind gesture and smiled in thanks, before curling his arms around his midsection and looking out the window.

"We're just two more blocks up on the right."

When they arrived at Ben's house, Dave helped Klaus carry the groceries inside so he could focus on carrying Riley. The rain thankfully had stopped by the time they got there, which made this task a lot easier for them all.

"You can just set them down on the counter, I'll get to them in a minute. Thanks again for all of your help." Klaus stated as he set Riley's carrier on the couch and quickly unfastened her, pulling her tiny little body into his welcoming arms.

Dave smiled and nodded while he did as he was instructed before peering around the home. It wasn't a huge house; but the floor plan made it seem so open and inviting. The kitchen was in the middle of the main living space; gray wood-like tile floors paved the entire area. The couch was a large plush blue sectional with an oversized matching ottoman. It looked very clean and well kept, aside from a few dirty dishes in the sink and the obvious copious amounts of baby items littered across the free counter space.

"You two live here alone? Where's her mother?" he asked. Klaus set Riley down on the couch as he quickly changed her soiled diaper.

"Oh, uh, we were never actually together," He paused, unsure of if he should bother informing Dave of all of his mistakes right off the bat. "This is my brother's place. He just left for college a few days ago, so it's just me and Riley now." He finished, fastening Riley's new diaper, and putting her onesie back on before pulling her back into his loving arms. "Isn't that right, princess? Just the two of us, huh sweetie. Yeah, yeah it is." He cooed to her, pressing her forehead against his own, his smile bright and filled with adoration as he held her little hand; her fingers wrapped around his thumb while he pulled her tightly against his chest. Dave smiled at Klaus and his baby girl before running his fingers through his tendrils of dirty blonde curls.

"Well, hey, I don't live very far from here. If you ever need any help, just give me a ring, alright?" Klaus peeled his sights away from his little princess as he glanced at Dave, their blue and green eyes converging together.

"Oh, Dave. No, uh, that's okay. I'm sorry, but, we don't want to bother you—" Dave smiled as he shook his head.

"You apologize too much, it's no bother at all. I've got some free time, and no offense; but you'll need all the help you can get - especially while they're that young." Klaus's mouth opened to speak before closing into a firm smile. Dave just returned the smile, walking to the fridge and pulling a piece of stationary off of it. Taking the coordinating pen into his hands, he promptly jotted his phone number down before handing it to Klaus.

"I'm serious, don't hesitate to call if you need any help, okay?" His smile intensified as he looked deep into Klaus's swirling pools of emerald. "I'll see you two around?"

"Y-yeah," Klaus stumbled, nodding his head as he turned away from Dave, he could feel his cheeks reddening under his intense stare, "yeah, sure." Dave laughed as he patted his back. He gently rubbed his finger over Riley's soft skin of her little hand before turning to leave. Klaus looked into Riley's eyes; her giant blue orbs meeting him with child-like wonder. He turned to Dave just as he opened the front door.

"Oh, Dave," Dave stopped, fingertips resting against the door handle as he turned to face Klaus. "Thanks."

"Of course, any time." Dave smiled again while he nodded before waving goodbye to Riley. He exited the house, closing the door behind him.

Klaus busied himself with preparing a bottle for his precious baby girl. He checked the temperature before pressing it to his daughters eager lips. Klaus walked over to the oversized couch and delicately situated himself on in, propping his socked feet up onto the ottoman. He smiled down at Riley; the soft sounds of her sucking on her bottle filled the room. He giggled as he ran his thumb gently over the soft skin of her cheek.

"Daddy made a new friend today, didn't he sweetie?" He cooed to his daughter. Riley blinked her eyes as she continued to eat. "Should daddy keep in contact with Dave? He did leave us his phone number. Between you and me, I think he just wants to keep in touch with you. Who could blame him, really. You are adorable, after all." He laughed as she grabbed onto his pinky finger, her blue eyes staring intently at his green ones.

Klaus was torn. Dave seemed so kind, so sweet and like he actually cared about them. Which was odd, as he didn't even know them at all. He didn't know if it would be wise to trust him, though. After all, he was just a stranger he met in a grocery store. He didn't know if he was genuinely a good person, or if he was some psychotic murderer. Then again, something about those dimples, and the kindness behind his beautiful blue eyes made Klaus instantly feel so comfortable around him. Made him feel like maybe he could trust him? He didn't know if it was because his features reminded him so much of his own daughter's - their eyes and dimples matched so perfectly, after all - or if it was simply because Dave showed them something no one else ever had his entire life aside from his brother: kindness.

Dave was so overwhelmingly pleasant, Klaus honestly didn't know how he should respond. Riley grasped his finger tighter, pulling Klaus away from his thoughts. He needed to put Riley's well being before his own.

"No, you're probably right," He began, propping the bottle up for her to be able to drink better from it, "we don't need no man, huh princess?" Riley wiggled her loose arm, bringing it around to latch onto Klaus's finger so she was holding onto him with both of her tiny little hands. He smiled down at her lovingly.

"Yup, baby girl, that's right. Just the two of us, we only need each other."

Authors Note: Hey, if you're reading and enjoying this, I as a writer crave validation! LOL if you like this story please, leave a comment and let me know! I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions! Please and thank you!

I hope you'll continue to enjoy! :)